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Once it’s over, they’ll claim, you’ll practically tap-dance out of the hospital like Fred Astaire in his heyday.

Yes, they want you to think hip surgery is the answer to everything.

Stiff? Struggle to get around? In pain? Worried about losing your independence? Then new hips are for YOU!

But new research shows how that promise doesn’t match the reality.

Seniors might dream of new hips with less pain and more mobility… but what they often get is a nightmare of more pain and complications, along with big bills for all the copays and deductibles.

And even when everything goes well, you could end up badly disappointed.

The recovery can be long and painful — and the eventual “improvements” could be so small you may not even notice them.

In fact, most folks are so letdown by the whole thing that nothing changes after the surgery: The new study of some 1,300 hip replacement patients finds NO DIFFERENCE at all in activity levels before and after the surgery.

They don’t get out and walk longer or further. They’re not hopping on bikes and cycling around town. They’re not doing ANYTHING physical that they weren’t doing before.

The researchers claim maybe all these folks really need is a little encouragement to get out and get moving again.

C’mon. When you sink thousands into a new car do you really need the dealer to visit your home and encourage you to drive it?

You drive it because it’s a good car — and if folks aren’t getting up and about on their new hips it’s not because they haven’t been “encouraged.”

It’s because those new hips are lemons.

I wish I could tell you it’s the only problem with hip surgery… but it’s not. There have been more scandals around hip surgeries than in General Hospital.

It’s tough enough returning a TV for a recall. Imagine trying to trade in something implanted in your body!

I won’t say you never need this surgery. Some folks clearly do.

But many don’t — because the same strategies that can help creaky knees often work on hurting hips. Start with the basics, like glucosamine and chondroitin, and work closely with a naturopathic doc on drug-free ways to cut pain and improve mobility.

If you’ve tried all that and need new hips anyway, do your homework. Read up, and get several different opinions before you commit — or you could find yourself sorely disappointed after.

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